There is perhaps no bigger boost than drafting a mid-to-late-round running back who blossoms into an RB1. It’s the equivalent of winning the lottery in fantasy football and can dramatically improve your team’s chances of winning a title.
Last year, there were a handful of running backs taken outside the top 24 at the position who paid off in a big way. Miles Sanders, Tony Pollard and Rhamondre Stevenson were all drafted as RB3s and finished inside the top 13 in half-PPR leagues (I’m counting Sanders even if he technically wasn’t an RB1, he delivered great value).
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Fantasy Football Running Backs With Upside: Rachaad White
Who could be those draft day gems in 2023? Since ADP data isn’t exactly useful in mid-May, let’s take a look at our Expert Consensus Rankings to identify those potential home runs who are currently ranked as RB3s.
Rachaad White (RB – TB): ECR RB25
White barely qualifies as an RB3, but I think there’s room for some significant upside. White’s rookie season was intriguing. He rushed for 481 yards and a touchdown but saw a lot of use as a pass catcher. White caught 50 of 58 targets as a rookie and benefitted from a ton of dump-offs, as Tom Brady was constantly under duress. White’s average depth of target was -0.3 yards, which indicates that many of White’s targets came from behind the line of scrimmage.
All that being said, White has a wide open path to starting duties with Leonard Fournette gone. Chase Edmonds and Ke’Shawn Vaughn are his primary competitors for touches. And while White’s pass-catching work wasn’t prolific, he showed enough reliability to earn a shot at being the team’s three-down back.
The drop off from Brady to Baker Mayfield is significant, but I suspect Tampa will have far better injury luck and continuity along its offensive line. White is an intriguing upside back to snag in drafts.
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